1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna device of a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna device of a mobile terminal having improved performance by utilizing a metal object located in proximity to the antenna device as an antenna radiator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile terminal has many metal components, located in the limited internal space, to provide various features. Because an antenna is also located within the mobile terminal, the plurality of metal objects are located in proximity of the antenna device. The metal objects can influence the performance of the antenna device of the mobile terminal, and therefore, extensive research on this phenomenon has been conducted.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an antenna device of a mobile terminal according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, an antenna device 100 of a mobile terminal may include an antenna pattern 110, a ground unit 120, and Intermediate Frequency (IF) connector 130. The antenna pattern 110 is connected to a feeder 111 and a ground line 112. The ground line 112 is connected to the ground unit 120, which is formed on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 140. The IF connector 130 may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, which is provided on a bottom portion of the mobile terminal to receive an external signal or to supply power. The IF connector 130 is mounted on the PCB 140. The IF connector 130, which is composed of metal, is positioned with a certain interval from the antenna pattern 110.
The antenna pattern 110 of the antenna device 100 of the mobile terminal has many metal components, including the IF connector 130, arranged in close proximity thereto. In addition, in order to reinforce mechanical strength of the mobile terminal, a case (not shown) of the mobile terminal can be composed of metal. However, the metal components located near the antenna pattern 110 or the metal case may lower the efficiency and bandwidth of the antenna. Furthermore, avoiding the use of metal components when designing the antenna device can be difficult.
Therefore, a need exists for an antenna device of a mobile terminal, of which performance is not degraded when a metal component is positioned in proximity or when the mobile terminal has a metal case.